Corrective services are responsible for administering the penalties handed down by the criminal courts which require some form of supervision or custody of the offender. This may include imprisonment on either a full- or part-time basis, community service and other forms of supervised work, home detention or good behaviour bonds under supervision. Most persons for whom corrective services have responsibility have received a sentence from a criminal court, but some persons have been given orders pending judgement or sentencing (e.g. unsentenced prisoners).

All States and Territories operate prisons and other types of corrective services. Separate provisions exist in each State and Territory for dealing with juvenile offenders. Convicted adult prisoners from the Australian Capital Territory serve their sentences in New South Wales prisons, but local provision is made for the custody of unsentenced prisoners and periodic detainees, and for community corrections (e.g. probation and parole). The Commonwealth Government does not operate any prisons or other corrective services, as federal offenders (persons convicted of offences under Commonwealth laws) are supervised by State agencies for correctional purposes.

A number of jurisdictions have established privately operated prison facilities. These prisons operate in conjunction with State operated prisons and are monitored by the Corrective Services authorities in a similar manner to State operated prisons.

Corrective Services comprise prisons, periodic detention and community-based corrections. Community-based corrections include restricted movement, reparation (fine option and community service) and supervision (parole, bail and sentenced probation). In the June quarter 2000 there were 20,828 persons in prison in Australia, 1,336 persons in periodic detention and 59,190 persons in community-based corrections (table 11.20).

11.20 PERSONSSUBJECT TO PENALTY, By Type of Penalty- June Quarter 2000

Type of penalty

NSW(a)

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT inNSW(a)

ACT

Aust.

NUMBER

Prison(b)

7,346

3,130

4,892

1,312

3,038

429

632

151

49

20,828

Periodic detention(b)

1,264

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

72

1,336

Community-based corrections(c)(d) -

- Restricted movement

209

. .

300

136

87

. .

22

. .

. .

754

- Reparation -

- Fine option

309

1,147

11,133

1,418

434

117

171

. .

. .

14,729

- Community service

5,861

950

2,086

1,425

1,770

452

88

. .

153

12,785

- Supervision (compliance) -

- Parole

3,709

916

1,601

1,036

1,089

76

118

. .

108

8,653

- Bail

-

-

-

232

-

. .

3

. .

135

370

- Sentenced probation

11,451

3,718

7,139

2,439

2,441

647

214

. .

648

28,697

Total community-based

corrections(d)

19,354

6,561

20,189

5,982

4,313

1,152

595

. .

1,044

59,190

RATE PER 100,000 ADULT POPULATION

Prison

151.0

85.4

182.2

114.9

218.1

120.4

459.3

64.8

20.9

143.9

Periodic detention

26.0

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

. .

30.8

9.2

Total persons in community-

based corrections

397.6

178.4

749.6

523.7

308.8

322.8

431.5

. .

448.3

408.0

(a) Persons sentenced to full-time custody in the ACT are held in NSW prisons. These persons are included in the NSW figure, as well as being reported separately under 'ACT in NSW'.(b) Average daily number. (c) Number on first day of month. (d) As a person may have more than one type of order, the sum of the components may be greater than the total. Source: Corrective Services Australia (4512.0).